The bank, which is at the Brechin Baptist Church on Clerk Street, is part of the Trussell Trust and managed by the Strathmore Christian Fellowship and run by volunteers from the Baptist and Edzell churches.

The bank has been set up to provide short term help to people who are living through a temporary crisis and are unable to provide for themselves - not to support a chaotic lifestyle.

In Scotland, 51 per cent of people who use the banks are low waged workers who are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet.

The remainder of clients are largely made up of people experiencing benefit changes,delay in benefit payments or redundancy. In the last 18 months Trussell Trust have increased banks in Scotland from three, to 23.

People who use the bank are referred by agencies such as social workers, schools, doctors and ministers.

The foodbank exists entirely on local donations and activity.

The food parcels, which are made up of nonperishable items and are all nutritionally balanced, contain enough food for three days’ meals.

The Brechin bank will be open on Monday and Friday afternoons between 1 and 3 p.m., and on Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m.

Anybody wishing to help with volunteering or to ask for an uplift of food please contact local coordinators, Fergus Gillies (Brechin) on 07747 656812 or Janet Warnes (Laurencekirk) on 07854 872479.